Rapidly Advancing Strength (Part 2)

Fortunately, the vast energy contained within the crystal rushed into Gu Xiechen's Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness just in time. Gu Xiechen watched as the red energy was swallowed and assimilated into a light purple mist by his Sea of Consciousness. However, the assimilated energy was less than three percent of the crystal's total energy. The remaining ninety-seven percent was converted by his Sea of Consciousness into the Innate Qi he was familiar with and fed back into his meridians. The Hanyuan Zhen Dian began to operate instinctively, the vortexes in his one hundred and eight major acupoints surged rapidly, and streams of pure Innate Qi were continuously absorbed and integrated into the vortexes.

More purple mist rushed out of the Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, constantly attacking the red crystal. More energy roared into Gu Xiechen's body, generating more purple mist and Innate Qi.

The unprecedented comfort made Gu Xiechen almost want to cheer to the heavens. Innate Qi rolled in, and in just a short quarter of an hour, the amount of Innate Qi generated was comparable to what Gu Xiechen could achieve with twelve hours of arduous cultivation. Forty-eight times! By absorbing the energy from the red crystal, Gu Xiechen's cultivation speed had increased by forty-eight times!

"If there are sufficient Zakra Crystals, the cultivation speed of a Realm Master is at least forty-eight times that of an ordinary martial artist! They can cultivate for one year in the equivalent of forty-eight years for an ordinary martial artist! The average lifespan of Earthlings is currently around 150 years. If a lucky individual becomes a Realm Master by fusing with a Cristo Crystal at the age of fifty, he can still cultivate for another hundred years using the crystal!"

All the pores on his body opened simultaneously. Gu Xiechen's hair stood on end from the result of his calculation. If Realm Masters were provided with enough crystals, a hundred years of their arduous cultivation would be equivalent to thousands of years for ordinary martial artists. No wonder all Realm Masters were frantically hoarding crystals! No wonder the Earth Federation Special Administrative Committee issued a certain number of crystals to Realm Masters each year to control them!

"So comfortable!" The Hanyuan Zhen Dian operated almost without Gu Xiechen's control. His mutated Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness was practically his second brain, perfectly controlling the flow of his True Qi.

The crystal energy transformed into purple mist and Innate Qi. The Innate Qi integrated into his Dantian and the one hundred and eight major acupoints. The purple mist surged out of his body, absorbing crystal energy and refining the Innate Qi along the way, making it more condensed. A nearly perfect virtuous cycle was formed.

In just half an hour, the energy in the red crystal was completely absorbed. Without Gu Xiechen needing to think, the purple mist instinctively surged towards the nearly a hundred Zakra Crystals piled on the ground. Another wave of energy that made his entire body feel refreshed surged into his body. This time, the influx of energy was too strong; Gu Xiechen even felt like his meridians were about to burst.

Fortunately, his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness instinctively reduced the energy absorption rate, allowing Gu Xiechen to catch his breath.

"Hmm, it seems there's a limit to absorbing crystal energy. The stronger the physical body, the more energy it can absorb! A strong body, huh?"

The subsequent chapters of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian in Gu Xiechen's mind surfaced like the moon at the bottom of the water, and for a moment, his heart felt enlightened!

The Hanyuan Zhen Dian was practically a supreme treasure created for Realm Masters. Acupoint Nourishment, Meridian Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, Blood Augmentation, and so on, were all aimed at forging a sufficiently powerful physical body. The stronger the body, the faster the absorption of crystal energy, and the stronger one's cultivation would be!

Gu Xiechen leaped up, scooped up the nearly a hundred crystals from the ground, and rushed to the adjacent warehouse. He lay spread-eagled on the pile of crystals, fully activating the Acupoint Nourishment chapter of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian.

Endless energy continuously poured into his body, and a large amount of newly generated Qi rapidly filled Gu Xiechen's one hundred and eight major acupoints. The vortexes in the acupoints, which were only one-third full, gradually expanded, eventually filling all the space within the acupoints. The purple mist washed over them again and again, the vortexes gradually shrinking and condensing, then growing larger and stronger. After eighty-one cycles, Gu Xiechen's Dantian and one hundred and eight major acupoints were filled with solidified, almost tangible Innate Qi.

The Acupoint Nourishment chapter of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian reached the Great Vehicle stage!

Gu Xiechen did not hesitate to begin circulating the cultivation technique of the Meridian Transformation chapter. Streams of Innate Qi continuously flowed through his meridians, constantly expanding them. His heart rate surged, and streams of pure energy continuously poured out from his Dao Embryo. The expanded meridians became increasingly solid and resilient under the nourishment of the Dao Embryo's energy. With continuous expansion and strengthening, Gu Xiechen slowly entered a state of ethereal trance.

In his trance, Gu Xiechen seemed to see eighty-four thousand stars in the heavens twinkling before his eyes, and it seemed as if this star map composed of eighty-four thousand stars was revolving around a colossal Taiji vortex.

This vortex rotated extremely slowly, and an endless, profound aura emanated from it, as if it represented the entire meaning of the universe.

The crystals covered Gu Xiechen entirely, his body shimmering with a multicolored halo. His heart beat rapidly, and the vast energy from his Dao Embryo continuously flowed throughout his body.

In the depths of Gu Xiechen's Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness—which was also the Realm he possessed—which Gu Xiechen could not see, countless wisps of purple mist gradually converged, slowly forming a hazy black and white Taiji vortex. This vortex was extremely small and faint, as if it would collapse with a single gust of wind, but the profound aura continuously seeped out from it, slowly filling and occupying the boundless Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.

Seven days and seven nights later, Gu Xiechen awoke from his deep sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, and streams of purple light shot out from his pupils, instantly illuminating the entire room.

The purple light flashed and disappeared. Gu Xiechen slowly stood up, staring blankly at the Zakra Crystals on the ground, which had turned into inert rocks.

"Ten cubic meters! Ten cubic meters of Zakra Crystals! In the black market, one cubic meter of Zakra Crystals is worth at least one hundred million! Ten billion!"

He gasped and thought to himself, "If I don't resort to murder and arson, where else can I find so many Zakra Crystals to practice? These things are federal military-controlled supplies! Isn't this forcing me down a crooked path? Uh, of course, I'm not saying I'm a good person, but this is forcing me to become a villain, a bad guy, a scoundrel!"

He sensed his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. It had become slightly fuller than before, but that was all. There were no other changes.

"Heavens, how many crystals do other Realm Masters waste to achieve this cultivation?" Gu Xiechen almost burst into tears.

But what made Gu Xiechen happy was that the Meridian Transformation chapter had been successfully completed. His meridians were wide and strong, at least ten times wider than the eight-lane highway they were previously compared to. Moreover, the meridians were condensed and solid, as if cast from fine jade, and they were filled with tangible Innate Qi.

His Dantian, acupoints, and meridians were all connected, and the boundaries between them were no longer significant. Gu Xiechen's body was now filled with pure, condensed Qi, like a large balloon.

Wherever his mind willed, unyielding Qi would arise effortlessly. There was no need to draw Qi from his Dantian and waste time. For the current Gu Xiechen, his Dantian was merely a source for refining Qi in his daily practice. However, with the 'Realm' acting as a heaven-defying cheat to absorb crystals and convert them into Qi, the Dantian's role was truly insignificant.

"Wonderful!" Overjoyed, Gu Xiechen went to the testing room again. He carefully closed the door and stood solemnly before the testing instrument.

Now, Gu Xiechen's meridians and acupoints could withstand any amount of Qi. What limited his attack power was the strength of his muscles and bones, which were relatively tough before. Carefully condensing the newly generated Qi in his right claw, he cautiously maintained it at the limit where his right claw's muscles, bones, and blood vessels would not be shattered by the Qi. Gu Xiechen unleashed a 'full power' claw strike on the testing instrument.

A dull thud echoed, and the testing instrument trembled slightly.

Ten seconds later, the testing instrument's display screen showed Gu Xiechen's new data.

"Nine hundred and seventy-five Zakra. Uranus High-Stage Fighter."

Gu Xiechen nodded with satisfaction. If he were willing to risk injury to his bones and muscles, his attack power could at least double!

He casually cleared the data on the testing instrument and walked out of the testing room. He went to the base's gym to test his physical strength.

Bench pressing 5.85 tons, his physical strength had more than doubled. This was also a leap forward.

He swung his fist forcefully and stepped off the weightlifting equipment. In a great mood, he prepared to reward himself with a delicious meal.

The Bearded Commander, whom he hadn't seen for several days, appeared at the gym entrance just in time. The Bearded Commander's imposing face wore a fawning smile, and he stared at Gu Xiechen like a pervert gazing at a naked beauty. Gu Xiechen's heart chilled, and he instinctively took a few steps back.

"What is it? I'm not interested in men! Especially not someone like you with a full beard and no aesthetic appeal!"

The Bearded Commander just smiled at Gu Xiechen, chuckling foolishly for a full three minutes before speaking to Gu Xiechen kindly, "Evil Dragon, I have a new position prepared for you. Are you interested?"

"Uh? What position?" Gu Xiechen's heart skipped a beat. Had this guy figured something out?

"First Deputy Commander of the Hell Angels Mercenary Group, with your own direct combat unit. All powers will be the same as mine, the bearded one. How about it?" The Bearded Commander stared at Gu Xiechen with shining eyes.

"I..." Gu Xiechen was stunned. He looked at the Bearded Commander and exclaimed, "I think I only joined the Hell Angels Mercenary Group a little over a month ago!"

"For a Realm Master, no price is too high!" The Bearded Commander said solemnly, "Your strength has surged thirtyfold in seven days. If you still claim your Cristo Fusion failed, you're truly treating me like a pig. Considering how well I've treated you this past month, are you interested in becoming this First Deputy Commander?"

The Bearded Commander said sincerely, "When I retire, you will be the boss of the Hell Angels Mercenary Group! All the hundreds of thousands of brothers in the group will be yours!"

"You!"

Gu Xiechen stared intently at the Bearded Commander. The Bearded Commander's eyes were clear and fanatical, with no impurities.

This was a warrior who doted on his mercenary group like a lover!

Gu Xiechen extended his hand, "Only a fool would refuse! First Deputy Commander? I'm in!"

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